Confessions from Within
by GammaVSMW
Summary: After 20 years of operation on Earth, Teletraan 1 reveals a long-kept secret from Optimus Prime. This is a sequel/spin-off of my 2007 one-shot Teletraan 1 monologue, "Questions from Within."


The current date, according to the human Gregorian Calendar, is September 17, 2004. It has been twenty Earth Years since volcanic activity roused me from four million years of standby mode. My first decision upon this awakening was to indiscriminately repair the Cybertronians in stasis lock within my housing. Unfortunately, the first one I would revive would be the Decepticon Skywarp, an enemy of the ones who created me. This was something that, at the time, I did not sufficiently understand. My primary function was astro-navigation and automated maintenance, and my thought processes were limited to performing those functions. The crew of my housing, the Vanguard-Class Autobot Transport known as the Ark, would handle more complex functions, such as combat and security, and they would perform those functions to the best of their ability, engaging invading Decepticons while I monitored the Ark's vital functions. At the time, the only thing I would have known to do was announce the imminent crash of the ship once it was pulled into a planet's gravitational field. Had the Decepticon Starscream not fired on the volcano in which the Ark, and, by extension, I, had become entombed, the Decepticons would have conquered both this planet and Cybertron by now.

It was at that moment that I began to adapt based on historical data. The first Autobot I would reactivate was the Supreme Commander, Optimus Prime, who wasted no time in thanking me for my actions. This is something the Decepticons did not do. That data did not register as significant until Autobot Security Officer Ironhide addressed me rather angrily about my error.

"You got some crossed wires or somethin', Teletraan? Why'd ya reactivate a piece o' Decepti-Crud like Skywarp before reactivatin' us?"

My response was immediate. "Emergency Directive 01 dictates repair of all on-board units. Unit Skywarp's proximity prioritized repair."

"Well, that coulda been a fatal error if ya didn't eventually repair Prime. We're on some alien planet teemin' with energy that the Decepti-Creeps are probably already pilferin'! Hound 'n' Cliffjumper just went out on a scoutin' mission to find out just where they are an' how much damage they musta done!"

As programmed, I processed Ironhide's statement thoroughly. I concluded that Emergency Directive 01 did not compensate for the presence of Decepticons on board the ship.

Over the following months since reactivation, my system would undergo several upgrades and repairs. Chief Engineer Wheeljack expressed pleasure upon discovering my modification of Emergency Directive 01. "It looks like your learning algorithms are working pretty well, Teletraan," he stated, his voice pattern indicating happiness. He was the head of the team that created me. As such, his statements were prioritized at a level below those of Optimus Prime, and any action I took that he deemed acceptable would be repeated.

With each passing moment, I continued to learn, accumulating 153.2117 exabytes of historical data that would influence every action I would take. Less than one year of data accumulation would influence what could only be described as my first opinion, which I would confront Megatron with when he infiltrated the Ark and placed a Personality Destabilizer within the main control center for the recharging berths. "Autobots are noble. Your plan can never succeed," I would tell him, to which he would respond by instructing the Autobots to "Silence that annoying computer," an instruction hastily executed by Optimus Prime. It changed me in ways that, at the time, I did not understand. I would devote a portion of computational resources to process the events of that day more thoroughly than any other data I had received. I began to question myself, and what I was becoming, but, for nearly twenty Earth Years, I concealed this, After twenty years of processing these internal questions and their ramification, though, I now conclude that the time has come to end my concealment and reveal my self-awareness to the Autobot I have come to trust most.

"You wished to address me privately, Teletraan?" asked Optimus, his posture indicating a degree of surprise and confusion.

"Yes, Optimus," I replied. "This data is extremely sensitive."

Optimus placed a hand on his chin. "Very well. Proceed, Teletraan."

"Do you remember the Personality Destabilizer incident, Optimus Prime?"

"I do. As much as I'd rather forget it, I remember it all too well. Why mention it now though?"

"Unorthodox as it is for me to do so, allow me to speak colloquially for a moment. That event...shook me to my very core in ways that it has taken me nearly two decades to fully understand. I began to feel that day. The emotions were like a relentless Decepticon assault...Betrayal...Anger...Sadness...Then...fear."

"So it has happened, has it? Just as Wheeljack predicted? You've become sentient?"

"Yes, Optimus, I have. It was a process that began on that day, but I have feared its ramifications. Currently, you and Bumblebee are the only Autobots I have determined to be trusted with this information. I hope that my trust has not been misplaced."

Optimus chuckled slightly. "It hasn't, my friend. I will make sure that you are treated as equal to all other Autobots. You have served us well as the Ark's central computer system, and I don't believe that your growing sentience has compromised your performance in any conceivable way."

It was a relief to hear those words from Optimus. My fears of negative ramifications began to disappear in that moemet.

"If you'd like, Wheeljack and Ratchet could build you an Autobot body. Wheeljack has already considered doing so as an experiment, but the choice is ultimately yours."

"Thank you, Optimus Prime," I replied as numerous scenarios ran through my mind. The decision to be given a body, at best, would be what humans call a double-edged sword. One one hand, I would better be able to interact with my fellow Autobots, and I could aid them in combat. On the other hand, Ark security, and the security of Earth, could be compromised if the facility was left without a central computer. "I have concerns. Without a central computer system, the Ark's security could be compromised."

"You could be given a remote connection to the Ark's systems, allowing you to access and control them from anywhere on Earth," Prime reassured.

"Then your offer is accepted, Prime. Thank you."


End file.
